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Self-weaning but not drinking...

My son is almost 14 months old and has slowed way down on nursing. He didn't ask for the breast in the morning (only at bedtime), so I gave him a cup with breakfast. At first, I wasn't sure if he was going to do well with regular milk (both Dad & I are lactose intolerant; his three siblings are milk guzzlers), because he would scream and cry at night. He also didn't drink a whole lot of it and nursed prior to nap/bedtime. I attributed the screaming to his cup of milk at dinner and gave him Lactaid. He did well, guzzling down the cup in the morning times and dinner. No more screaming or fits - then I noticed a suspect tooth... could have been that.

Anyways, I switched back to the regular milk and now he's back to not drinking it at all... Just a few sips. He doesn't ask for the breast though. I'm concerned that he's not getting enough to drink. I don't want to give him juice if he's not going to drink the milk... I'm afraid he'd only want the juice then. But after two times of picking him up from the church nursery and finding that he hadn't finished his milk... I'm concerned. He's not drinking anything but a sip or two from 8:30 am until noon! When I got home today, he barely drank anything with lunch, and it's almost 2!! And he's not asking for the breast.... Could he just not want to drink? Could it be the milk?

I'm ready for him to wean (and he seems ready for it except for bedtime), but don't want him to dehydrate! Should I change milk? Should I just keep giving him the cup throughout the day? -- don't want to create a cup-carrier, lol! (Soy is not an option, our family has various allergies and mom's biggest one is soy)

Re: Self-weaning but not drinking...

i think your guy is pretty smart about the cow milk! Humans don't suddenly turn into calves at age 1, most need the breast until age 2 at least. We do soy or oat for things like wetting cereal, but usually my kids drink bm or water.

Re: Self-weaning but not drinking...

Cheryl, It's great that you are watching your child closely and noticing the reactions and actions he is having. Something important to remember is that if there is ANY history of sensitivities or allergies, those are things you should try to keep your children away from. Your other children may have no problem (as it sounds) but your youngest may be more suseptable. Water is the best next to breastmilk for him. Rice milk for cereal and calcium-heavy veggies are better options than milk for calcium. Overall, breastmilk and water are the best options for preventing dehydration. He does not NEED cow milk. Watching diapers or toliet for type of deposits (strong urine smell or bright yellow) are an indicator of whether he needs more fluids. Hope that helps.

Weaning anxiety

My son is 11 months old and I want to begin to wean him. I am currently 2 months pregnant, and my doctor strongly advises bringing nursing to an end. I've heard many different opinions about this, so I really don't know what the correct answer is (about nursing during pregnancy). At any rate, I am ready to wean him totally. He has never taken a bottle. He does drink water from a cup, though not very much. A few sips here and there. I have very recently tried to give him milk, and he is not very receptive. I am now only nursing him twice a day (and he doesn't seem to want any more than this) and am very concerned that he will not be getting enough liquids. Any advice? I'm a first -time mom and have no idea what to do!